Such Sweet Bliss
by OnlyYouForever
Summary: My attempt to fill the void of the one thing missing from the beautiful love story of Carol and Doug: The four of them together as a family.


**A/N: My first ever ER fic, something I have wanted to do for quite some time now. My heart is owned by these two and I will never stop loving them. I will also never get over the fact that we never got to see them as a family or see Doug with his own children. So, here's my little dose of sweet bliss for the Hathaway-Ross family. I hope you enjoy!**

 **Huge special thanks to Sabrina ( _StrawberrySab)_ for the encouragement to write/post this and for the beta. **

* * *

Doug slowly lifted his head and opened one eye, glancing at the clock on the nightstand: _7:15._ Positive that the girls were likely already awake and impatiently waiting for him, he placed a soft kiss on Carol's bare shoulder, gently removed his arm from around her and climbed out of bed, trying not to wake her. He crept out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him, wincing when it creaked. As he turned around, his suspicions were confirmed and he smiled at the sight of his five-year-old daughters peeking their heads out of their bedrooms.

"Is it time, Daddy?" Kate asked, in her best attempt at a whisper.

"Shhh!" Her sister, Tess, scolded. "You're going to wake her up!"

Holding his finger to his lips, he signaled for them to be quiet and swiftly scooped them into his arms as he made his way to the staircase.

"Do you think we have enough time, Daddy?" Tess asked him as they descended.

"No," Kate answered for him. "Mommy always wakes up when we do."

They both looked up toward their parents bedroom when they reached the bottom.

"Don't worry girls," Doug assured them as they climbed down from his arms. "Mommy was very...very tired last night. So, I think we're safe." He turned and led the way into the kitchen, a small smirk on his lips.

Tess rushed over to the bench in the breakfast nook and lifted the seat to retrieve what they'd hidden inside. One by one, she carefully placed the homemade cards and gifts her sister and she had spent days perfecting for their mother on the table. As Doug started breakfast, Kate climbed onto the counter and opened the cupboard.

"What..." He quickly lifted her off of the counter and placed her on the floor. "How many times have we told you not to climb up there?" He asked her.

"I just wanted to get the coffee for Mommy," she pouted.

"Sweetheart, you're going to get hurt one day," he told her.

"That's why you use this," Tess said as she pushed a stepping stool over to the counter. "You never listen," she sighed, shaking her head at her sister as she started to step up.

"No! I wanna make the coffee!" Kate whined as she pulled her sister back.

"Hey!" Tess exclaimed as she fell back. "I want to help, too."

Stepping in before they could begin to argue and wake Carol, Doug shushed them. "Why don't you do it together?" he suggested.

"We can't both fit on the stool," Kate argued, waving her hand at it.

"That's very true, sweetheart, thanks for pointing that out." He looked around the kitchen. "Hey, why don't you get the tray ready for your mom, okay? You can make it all pretty or...whatever," he suggested. Tess shrugged and walked over to the other counter to do so.

Once the eggs and bacon were on the stove, he helped Kate with the coffee and then watched as she made her way over to the table.

"Did you see what I made for Mommy?" she asked him.

"I did," he told her.

"Do you think she'll like it?"

"She's going to love it," he assured her. "Actually, now that I think about it, maybe you girls should let me give my gift first. Because, once she sees what you've done for her, she won't care what I bought her," he joked.

"What _did_ you get Mommy?" Tess inquired.

"Well..." He glanced at the stove and signaled for them to wait, as he rushed out of the kitchen and down the hall to his office. When he walked back in, he held a small package and a box of animal crackers.

"Oh! We almost forgot the crackers," Tess said when he handed them to her. She placed them on the tray as he served the eggs and bacon onto a plate.

"What's in here, Daddy?" Kate whispered as she poked at the small black box he had left on the counter.

He placed the plate on the tray and Tess covered it. After adding the mug of coffee to the tray, he laid a single rose on top.

"When you girls were babies," he started as he picked them up and sat them on the counter next to each other. "Don't tell your mom I did that," he told them as he reached for the box. "We talked about getting married but decided that we wanted to wait until you were older and understood, so that you could be a part of it."

Pausing to make sure they were still with him, he smiled as they both looked up at him. They were spitting images of Carol. They had her unruly dark curls, her beautiful mossy eyes and her mesmerizing smile. Sometimes he wondered if they had any of his traits, until Kate reminded them just which one of them she was like. While Tess tends to be intense and focused like her mother, Kate was already rebellious and laid back, much like him.

"Daddy?" Kate prodded.

He chuckled when he saw the look on their faces. "I ever tell you girls how much you look like your mom?"

Tess sighed. "Yes, Daddy. All the time."

"Well excuse me if I think you're all very beautiful," he teased.

"Daddy!" They whined in unison.

"Okay, okay," he laughed. "As you have probably noticed, Mommy doesn't have a ring..."

"She doesn't really like those kinds of things," Tess replied.

"Nope," Kate agreed.

"Right. But I think she should have one," he told them as he opened the box to show it to them, making both gasp in response.

"Daddy, it's _so_ pretty," Tess told him.

"She's gonna get mad at you for it," Kate spoke up.

"Thanks, sweetheart. Always so motivational," he commented as Kate shrugged. "Thing is, I want it to be a surprise. If she sees this box, she'll know what it is."

Kate's face lit up as she was clearly struck with an idea. "Put it in the animal crackers!"

They all looked at the tray and Tess turned to her sister, a look of surprise on her face. "That's a good idea," she told her.

"It is," Doug agreed as he reached for the box. As he did, they heard movement upstairs and the girls gasped in unison as they all looked up at the ceiling.

"See? I told you!" Kate exclaimed as she jumped down from the counter, causing her father to glare at her. "Come on, we have to hurry now," she said as she rushed to grab her items from the table and Tess followed.

"Hey… Trouble…" Kate turned at the sound of her father's pet name for her and beamed up at him. "Didn't we agree that there would be no more jumping and climbing?"

"I'm not hurt, Daddy."

"But, you can-"

"Hey, wait for me!" Kate ran off, following her sister, before he could finish.

Shaking his head, Doug quickly opened the box of crackers, dropped the ring inside and placed it back on the tray before picking it up to follow his daughters up the stairs. When they reached the top, both girls took off running to the bedroom.

"Happy birthday, Mommy!" They yelled in unison as they opened the door and ran in.

Carol was standing by the bed, putting her robe on and laughed when they propelled themselves into her, wrapping their little arms around her.

"Oh wow, thank you my babies," she said as she smiled down at them.

"Ah, ah, ah..." She looked up at the sound of Doug's voice and smiled when he appeared in the doorway. "Back in bed, young lady."

"Doug..." She started to protest as the girls jumped onto their bed to wait for her to join them.

"Come on, Mommy," Kate said as she reached for her.

"We made you breakfast," Tess told her as she propped a pillow up for Carol.

"Yes, we... _we_ made you breakfast. Happy birthday," Doug told her as leaned in to kiss her. "I'm very happy to see that you were able to put clothes on before we came in," he whispered, causing her to laugh. "Go on," he gestured toward the bed. "They've been waiting all week for this."

She shook her head and climbed into the bed between the girls. As soon as they had her covered with the blanket again, Doug placed the tray on her lap. Instantly, she smiled upon seeing the box of animal crackers.

"After all these years," she said as she tapped the box.

Shrugging in response, he smiled and looked for a spot to sit. "It's okay girls, I'll just... sit on the floor."

Giggling, Kate stood up on the bed and pointed to the spot next to her mother. "No, Daddy. Here." Once he situated himself next to Carol, Kate plopped herself down on his lap.

"Well, I hope you're all planning to help me eat," Carol told them, quickly picking up her coffee when the girls both reached for food. "Doug, honey, put this on the nightstand," she told him, handing the mug to him after she drank a little.

"Are you girls going to show your mom what you've made for her?"

Kate nodded, mouth full of eggs as she reached for the card.

One by one, the girls took turns picking at the breakfast and presenting their artwork to Carol who lovingly admired and complimented each piece.

"Oh no." They all turned their attention to Tess who looked down at the empty plate on the tray.

"What's wrong baby?" Carol asked her.

"We ate all of your birthday breakfast," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Mommy."

"You still have your crackers," Kate cut in before she could reply. Picking up the box she thrust it into her mothers hand. "Here. Eat them, Mommy."

"It's okay, baby. I'm not hungry. The coffee was enough for-"

"But you have to eat them," Kate cut her off.

"I will, I promise. But maybe later," she told her.

"No, Mommy," Tess spoke up. "You have to eat them now."

Carol looked from one pleading face to the other and turned to Doug, with a look of amusement on her face. "Since when is it such a big deal?"

He shrugged, but offered no assistance. "It _is_ tradition," he pointed out as he moved the tray out of the way.

"Yup!" The girls exclaimed, in unison. At this point they were both leaning on her, waiting for her to open the box.

"Thanks for the backup," she mumbled as she shook her head and opened the box. Her breath caught and her hand froze as soon as she lifted the lid. After a few moments of stunned silence, she lifted the ring from its position on top of the packaging inside and scrutinized it. "Doug..."

Kate moved from her side and looked at her father with wide eyes. "I told you she was gonna get mad," she whispered.

"I'm not...mad," Carol defended herself to her daughter.

"Isn't it pretty, Mommy?" Tess asked with a wide smile.

"It's beautiful baby," she replied before turning to Doug and raising her eyebrows.

"I know, I know." He sat up, reaching for her hand. "You didn't want one."

"I don't _need_ one," she replied, softly.

"Well, I think you deserve one and I..." He grasped her left hand in both of his and smiled. "I thought it would be nice to see one on your finger," he replied before kissing her knuckles.

Unable to hold back any longer, she smiled and shook her head, exhaling. "Okay."

Taken by surprise, he raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Okay?"

She held the ring out to him. "Are you going to put it on?"

Grabbing the ring, he moved to place it on her finger.

"Hey!" They turned at the sound of Tess's interruption. "You didn't ask."

"You're right, sweetheart." He turned back to Carol and smiled before continuing. "Carol Hathaway-"

"Daddy..." Kate eyed him.

Inhaling deeply, Doug turned to his daughter. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Aren't you supposed to be on your knee?" She inquired.

Carol chuckled. "Yeah Doug," she agreed, smiling at him innocently.

Doug shook his head and muttered under his breath as he repositioned himself. "You will pay for this."

"No Daddy," Tess told him. "On the floor."

"Oh come on!" He complained.

"Doug," Carol whispered. "Do it for them."

Glancing again at his daughters, who sat eagerly waiting beside Carol, he stood from the bed and kneeled down on his left knee, wincing a little. "I'm too old for this," he joked, prompting a giggle from the three of them. He rested his gaze on Carol and smiled as he reached for her left hand. "Carol Hathaway," he started again. "You are...the love of my life and I...couldn't imagine my life without you." He stated matter-of-factly. "Will...you...marry me?"

Carol smiled before turning to Tess and Kate beside her. "What do you think, girls?" They looked up at her, smiling wide and nodded emphatically. "Yeah?" She turned back to Doug. "It's unanimous. Yes, Doug Ross, I will marry you."

He placed the ring on her finger and quickly reached up to kiss her deeply, tumbling backward onto the bed with her.

"YAY!" Kate and Tess squealed with delight and started to jump on the bed around them.

"Oh no." Carol put an arm out, attempting to stop them. "No jumping, you're going to fall and hurt yourself. Sit down, now," she warned.

"But, Mommy, we're happy!" Kate exclaimed as she continued to jump further away from her reach.

"A little help here?" She sat up and turned to Doug, gesturing to them.

"Actually," he left her side and stood on the bed. "This looks kind of fun," he said as he reached for the girls' hands, beginning to bounce on the bed slightly himself.

"Doug!"

"Mommy and Daddy are getting married," Kate sang.

"You're going to break the bed, Doug."

"Daddy finally got a ring on Mommy," he joined his daughter in song. "Come on, join us." He prodded as he continued to jump.

She shook her head and laughed, unable to contain it anymore. Tess hopped over and into her lap. "This is a nice birthday, right Mommy?"

"The best, baby," she replied as she hugged her and placed a kiss on her head. "Uh-oh," she yelped as she wrapped her arms around Tess and tried to roll out of the way as Doug and Kate jumped on top of them, causing Tess to playfully scream out.

She glanced over at Doug with Kate on top of him, lying next to her, clearly out of breath. "Had enough?" She asked him, amusement evident in her tone.

He turned to her as the girls moved to admire the ring on her finger closely. Meeting her gaze with his own, he smiled and scooted closer to place a quick kiss on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too."


End file.
